Guitar Licks and Tips

As you know the good people at Luminato Festival got together a bunch of like minded souls to gather together and attempt to break the Guinness World Book of Records for the most guitarist in a musical ensemble. We did set a Canadian record in this category in the process.

This is just a small sample of the atmosphere at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday June6th, 2009. This was when we were attempting to break the Guinness World book of Records for largest guitar ensemble. For more pictures of the event take a look at our flickr account.

The weather couldn’t of been better. I was to meet up with a buddy of mine, Sean, who works with me at the hospital. We also played a talent show at work a couple of years ago and we came in second place for the show. The winner was this lady playing the saw, yes a saw! In her defense it was very unique to say the least!

I ending up getting there early so I thought that I’d go to the Hard Rock and get us a seat on the patio. It took Sean and his beautiful bride to show up, so I had to earn my keep outside and started having a few light refreshing liquid beverages. Man that was fun!

I met tons of interesting people there. Also on the patio, there were tons of musicians hoisting pints before the show and we showing off their acoustics to anyone interested. I came across this guy named Mark McCreary who walked past my seat. He was carrying around a custom made guitar case that he created. This one was made of shaved bark and pine cones, REALLY COOL LOOKING! If you are looking for something like this for yourself or that special guitarist in your life, then give him an e-mail. uniquelydown@hotmail.com

This is a sample of the work that this guys does for his custom made guitar cases.

I remember this tall guy standing at the front of the stage with a hollow body guitar. He had his buddy there video taping the event. As it turns out, this video was taken by him and his buddy!

You can see Sean and myself on it at counter number 0:05. The counter is located on the bottom part of the video, and when the video is playing you will see numbers moving. I’m the guy with a white baseball cap on backwards with rectangular dark glasses. I am in the bottom part of the screen. I am holding up my beige top Larrivee. I am holding the guitar upside down and my guitar strap is hanging at the back of it. I’m wearing a light blue shirt. Sean is behind me directly to MY right YOUR left, with dark hair taking a picture with his head turned back to the crowd. He has a blue wristband on his right hand. You have to freeze the tape in order to see us.

The suspense was so think you could cut it with a dull butter knife! At one point, the announcer said that we were 5, YES 5 people short for the record. I looked back at Sean and the excitement level in our eyes was off the radar screen! Surely we can find 5 people at the busiest intersection of Toronto, Canada’s largest city, 5th largest in North America that plays guitar that wants to join in!

Then after performing the song, some guy from The Guinness Record group said that we were short 123 people! what the F–K! Didn’t they say we were 5 guitarists short a couple of minutes ago?!

At that point we quickly departed back to The Hard Rock Patio. Sean’s wife graciously was waiting for us, along with our guitar cases, I really appreciated that young lady!

Just a side note here, while in the head, I met this really excited guy. He told me that when he was on the patio and he heard that we only needed 5 more people for the record he begged and pleaded with the Hard Rock’s manager if he could get a guitar down from the wall and go over to join in. The manager hemmed and hawed for a split second. He then proceeded to grab this guitar off the wall that they used for employee of the month and let him go over! Can you believe it!

After a couple of drinks and some crying in our beers we headed off home.

We were sooo close but … Well there’s always next year!

P.S. Pinhead, you better show up for next years attempt, got it!!!

Keep on Jammin’

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When I was still a young and very impressionable guitarists, once in a while I’d hear of a collection of musicians, from different bands, that would get together to form this new thing called a Super Group. I could only imagine great tunes coming from these musically gifted artists. My first exposure to this new phenomenon was a Super Group called Asia.

I was not playing with Pylis at this point and I was just starting to pick up my axe again, finally! It was at this point in my journey that my renewal of love for playing and performing live came to a head. At this point I proceeded practicing like a mad man! I just needed an outlet to let go of all my pent up musical energy, so I got together this band.

These guys, Pinhead(keyboards), Domenic (drums), and this other guy that I can’t remember his name right now (bass player) wanted to play a show at Brantford’s BCI talent night, way back in the mid 80’s. Now this is where the Super Group Asia comes in.

Asia came at us with tons of hype. A line up that included guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Carl Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes and bassist/vocalist John Wetton was a real eye catcher. Their first big hit, the one we actually played at the show, was called Heat of the moment.

In hind site, the band and their material were ok at best. Not overly imaginative, but for the average listener at the time, it was fine. Most people were not fully aware of each of the bands members past works. They just recalled hearing the names of the bands and not what they, the guys in Asia as individuals, could bring to their musical tapestry.

Asia did in fact have several Top 10 singles and sales exceeding 7 million copies. Not bad for a so, so band. Why are these guys such a big seller … I’m not really sure. The only thing that comes to mind is ADVERTISING! So what about Super Groups from the past?

In the 1960s there was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Cream and Blind Faith. Not too bad at all I’d say. During the 1970s groups like Bad Company and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (these guys were just unreal). The 80s & 90s had super groups like The Firm, Power Station, A Perfect Circle and last but not least The Traveling Wilburys (I really wasn’t all that impressed with these guys in particular).

In today’s musical time line we have Velvet Revolver and Audioslave and just recently had Chicken Foot and Tinted Windows join the fold.

The question I have for all of you is, what do you think of the idea of The Super Group concept? Love them or hate them?

Keep on Jammin’

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The Nuance Festival was at the Black Swan on The Danforth and this year and the talent did not disappoint us at all. At this years show, Counterpoint opened up the seminal event!

To illustrate CounterPoint’s musical prowess in detail, takes up way too much time and I’ve been on the old soap box so many times that I’m getting dizzy … but to me it’s more then worth it! They are pure progressive rock god’s! At last years showcase, they kept me at the edge of my seat all night and this night they added even more dept and colour to their musical masterpieces.

They have now added another layer of sound to their arsenal with a Toronto guitarist called Neil Harvey.I’ve only seen them live twice, and I am eager to see what happens when all their magical alchemy comes together. If you love this genre, then just go out and see them live to fully understand what I mean.

First tune they did was Track 9. The intro to this one, in comparison to last year, was very refreshing in many ways! Some new portions were quite inventive. Chris Noto pulls these bass harmonics right out of thin air it seems. Without notice, Led Zeppelin has made an entry into their sound?! During Chris’s solo, Rick and Neil do some fine and very tight harmonizing together. Neil will finish this one with a solo that rounds it off nicely! Neil just adds a nice intrinsic feel to the band.

The next one up is Morphine. For some reason, the boys didn’t put this video up on there site so I can show ya. Once again, they pull this one off flawlessly. Rick changes up some keyboard parts that tend to make the song flow in subtle ways. Joe is the backbone on this one, he keeps it all together. Chris is … well Chris. He gravitates in and out of the limelight like only he can.

Ritual is next on their set list. The beginning is something right out of a RUSH, Farewell to Kings or Hemisphere’s album. All that is missing on this one are some wind chimes and wood boxes played by Joe the drummer! I am really looking forward to watching this guy do a drum solo, on his own kit someday. At this point, Chris is using a wah, wah pedal and performs with it to perfection. There tends to be this 70′ish sound rising in the background with some Nirvana thrown in for good luck, admirably done boys.

Now the original Ritual rears it’s mighty head! This Ritual of old has all the early ear markings of the embryonic sound and feel to it. Rick’s keyboard has that primitive Hammond B3 ambiance and aura to it. Rick has introduced some subtle suspended touches to it, skillfully done sir. His sound is building up gradually throughout the piece. You’ve got to see these guys live to bring into context what I am talking about.

Then to finish off the night, the audience asks them for one more! CounterPoint then decides, reluctantly I think, to just jam.

So that is what I experienced that night. Next Nuance, I hope to see ya there!

Keep on Jammin’

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The best guitar intro that I never did play live was the one that belongs to “Feels so good” by Chuck Mangione! I can appreciate some people saying OMG, what the hell is this guy on? But honestly, playing this one is a great feeling!

I have some fond memories with this one. I was around 13 years old, playing in a KISS tribute band called Deuce. Brain M.(guitar/bass/singer) and Eddie K. (drummer) were great guys to hang around with. The tunes we played were fun, but not that much challenging to me at the time.

My guitar guru/teacher the great Chris P. from Brantford, was always trying to direct me in very subtle ways towards Jazz AND GOD BLESS HIM FOR THAT!!! He started to introduce me to this neat form of music and I really liked it!

He showed me these chord progressions that just blew my mind! Imagine, who would have thought that there were more chords out there to play then just the ones I played. I was one of those kidz who picked up the guitar very easily. Everyone was always looking at me because they thought I knew everything … boy did this prove them wrong!

Then there was this song that was on the radio that I thought was JUST GREAT, the beginning and the solo part of it that is! The other parts were ok, but these were the parts I wanted to play. I let my buddy’s listen to it and you can only imagine what thy thought of it. This song was called Feel so good!

It was the first song that I started out listening to it and closing my eyes and concentrating on every little chord that the guitar player played. I tried to figure it out, I was always good at figuring out song but this was way out of my comfort zone. I then brought it up to my guru and he smiled at me and said that I’m ready!

His way of teaching me a song was to show me just small sections of a piece and would send me home to practise it over and over again until I mastered it and ONLY THEN would he show me the rest of it! To this day, THIS IS HOW I FIGURE OUT A SONG TO PLAY IN A BAND! Chris showed me to take a part song inside out before going on to the rest. It just makes sense to approach a song in this manor, got it CounterPoint! This is how I play!

So here is the solo part of the song that I fell in love with so many years ago and I want to share it with you. I only wish that I had the opportunity to of heard the late great Coleman Mellett’s interpretation of this master peice!

RIP Coleman Mellett, Keep on Jammin’

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The other day my beautiful wife was searching through the net when she came across this musical networking site. This site is called Indaba Music. They state that it is basically a on-line studio that anyone can upload their songs and let other musicians join in to play on it, that’s pretty awesome!

I can see real potential for musicians using this type of exchange/forum. Especially when they are looking for that elusive missing bridge or maybe an end to a chorus you just can’t finish. The opportunity for the real distinctive exchange of ideas for songs and their individual sections are endless! Remember that old saying, like minded people tend to gravitate towards each other. Really!

The networking aspect is great. Indaba stresses to Be Yourself, which has that nice warm, fuzzy feel to it. Like the atmosphere in your favorite coffee shop. The site seems to be set up for the average musician but, there is room for those diamonds in the rough to be found. You never know who you might find on here.

It must be nice to be a musician now a days because of the internet. I distinctly remember having to listen to a drummer over the phone, YES OVER THE PHONE, to determine if it was worth my while driving a fair distance to jam with the guy, to see if he would cut it being in a band with me. In today’s faster evolving musical world, specifically with advent of the internet, no phone is require for band auditions!

The best aspect of this site is the on site forum. You can learn a lot about looking at forums. Upon quickly skimming it, I found that the techies are hard at work. They seem to be answering almost all questions and it seems very active!

While searching through it, I found this psychedelic, Pink Floydish tune called Vibrate, check it out. There is also a list of those who helped out on it and you can contact them if you wish to invite them into your study on a certain song you have in your profile. On this one, there is a female vocalist who helps bring out a beautiful aspect to the song, that was missing in the beginning.

All though I haven’t signed up yet, I think it might be worth the gamble. I might even find someone on the site who is looking for that certain style or sound, that they might require to fill out a song. That’s where the fun of it is, for me that is!

Has anyone out there tried a site similar to this one? Better yet, is someone out there currently using this service and can shed some light on it for me/us?

Keep on Jammin’

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